


All in a Days Work

by IllusionsAreNotSoSimple



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, First Meetings, Get Together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-25
Updated: 2014-11-26
Packaged: 2018-02-27 00:22:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2671940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IllusionsAreNotSoSimple/pseuds/IllusionsAreNotSoSimple
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy works for Jane and for Coulson but when Coulson needs her on one of her Jane days it changes Darcy's life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It’s still early but she’s already awake. She stretches out under the blankets and keeps her eyes closed. She nuzzles the pillow and waits until her alarm rings. When the alarm goes off she groans softly and lifts the blankets to shut it up. She grabs her glasses and opens her eyes. It’s a Tuesday so there’s nothing quite special about that but she can feel slow anticipation seeping into her and she just knows that today will be special.

When she gets ready she decides to wear something a little more flattering then she would on most days when working in the lab with Jane but still keeps it normal enough for Jane not to notice.

The day seems to go as normal as the morning drags on while she enters data into the computer for her friend and boss. Jane is engrossed in her calculations and Darcy is just a little distracted, looking around and wondering what will happen today to make her feel like this. She sighs and focuses on the data again, so much so that she doesn’t hear it when the lab doors open and someone walks in.

She startles when she feels a gentle hand on her shoulder and Coulson chuckles softly. “I see that you’re busy but I really need your help today. Do you think Jane can survive if we switch days?” He’s not really asking, she can tell but it’s nice to know that he’s learned something since offering her a job. When he had asked her to work for him full time Jane had been very angry and in the end they had worked out a schedule. She still felt honoured that both these very competent people would fight over her but she was very pleased with the results. She likes both her jobs, thank you very much.

“Sure thing bossman.” She replies and she gets up and goes over to her friend. After getting in her face and explaining that yes, she will have Darcy for the regular amount of hours in the week just on different days, she shuts off the computer, puts the files away and makes her way to Coulson’s office.

She sighs as she gets off the elevator at the right floor and pinches her nose. “You’re gonna pay for this bossman.” She sighs before squaring her shoulders and walking over to agent Sitwell who is not so patiently waiting to be let into Coulson’s closed office.

“Agent Sitwell.” She greets politely as she walks past him and sits down behind her desk. His eyes flick to her before going back to the closed door and she sighs. She decides to take her time and starts up the computer, opens some off the cabinets to gather the files she’ll need to process and settles down before looking at the senior agent again.

“Agent Sitwell what can I do for you today?” She asks sweetly and the agent shoots her an incredulous look but keeps quiet. She waits for a moment but when it’s clear that he won’t say anything she just shakes her head and starts to work. The first thing she does is to check Coulson’s agenda and see if she can figure out why she is needed here today but off course it couldn’t be that easy. She lets it go and returns to her daily tasks knowing that her boss will tell her what and when she needs to know.

It’s about thirty minutes later when the closed door to her right opens a little. Agents Sitwell, who is apparently still there (she never knew that man had any patience) straightens out and eagerly waits for the door to open further. She looks towards the door and glances inside, surprised to see Captain Rogers there while, if she’s not mistaken, Director Fury is standing by the door.

A moment later the director steps out and gives her a nod before quickly leaving, coat swishing behind him while agent Sitwell gets ignored. Since the door has stayed open behind the director she gets up and enters the office with a smile. “Captain, boss, she greets before turning to Coulson, “agent Sitwell is waiting for you I think.” It’s not what she’d usually say, she ran a very tight schedule for the agent and off course he noticed. He only raises his eyebrow but it’s a clear enough sign for her to speak. “He hasn’t said a word but he’s been watching the door for at least half an hour.” She explains with a small shrug. Coulson glances at the Captain before telling her to let him in and she knows she’s dismissed.

She waves Sitwell through and returns to work. It seems like a quiet enough day and she doesn’t understand why she was so needed here today. She has finished up all the important work and the door was still closed. She decides to just keep working and wait her boss out, it’s not like she can actually out-sneak SHIELD.

She’s still working steadily through the pile of paperwork when a soft ping alerts her to a message. She grabs the file that’s mentioned and knocks on the door before entering. She walks straight to Coulson’s desk and gives him the confidential file but she still glances at the other to occupants and she can tell that the conversation, whatever it’s about, is heated. She turns to leave when Steve, because he doesn’t look like the Captain in that moment, catches her eye. “Darcy…” He hesitates for a moment and glances at Coulson before giving her a brittle smile. “If someone is forced to do something then they aren’t guilty for doing it. Right?” It’s not what she’s expecting so she takes a moment for that sentence to make sense. “Yeah that sounds about right.” She shrugs. “If you’ve got a gun against your head and they tell you what to do it wasn’t exactly by choice so it’s really there fault and not yours.” From the corner of her eyes she can see that it was the right response according to her boss and she wonders why the hell they would ask her. This is SHIELD after all, they should have rules about that sort of thing here. But she doesn’t ask, just walks towards the door and leaves.

It’s another ten minutes before the door opens. Steve squeezes her shoulder as he leaves and Sitwell just keeps ignoring her. Five minutes later her boss comes out but doesn’t walk past her. She can feel his eyes on her so she turns around, question in her eyes. “Follow me.” That is all he says as he makes his way towards the elevator. She follows quickly.

In the elevator he uses his key to open the panel and presses the button for one of the restricted floors. When they get there he leads her towards an empty office and gestures for her to sit down. He sits down next to her and gives her a small smile. “I’m impressed. I expected you to have asked at least one question by now.” She opens her mouth, not sure what to say just yet but a quick shake off his head keeps her quiet. “I’m aware you’ve had some history courses at Culver so I assume you know about Captain America and the Howling Commandos?” When she nods her continues quietly. “Sergeant Barnes did not, like the history books say, fall to his death in the Alps. He survived the fall and was turned into a weapon. His last mission was to kill Captain America but Steve recognised him and somehow managed to break through his programming. He’s been here a while now but he doesn’t trust us.” Now that he sits back she can see how tired he actually looks but she bites her tong, waiting. “He was captured, his memories were wiped and he was used as an assassin. It makes sense for him not to trust us and while he trusts Steve he can’t… His memories are still to warbled and fragile for him to trust. He needs someone to trust.” It takes just a moment but then she gets it. They want her to talk to him. To Bucky Barnes, a trained assassin. She wonders now if maybe she should have been on Sitwell’s side. But when she looks back at Coulson she can see his trust in her and she feels warm. He had always told her that he knows she’s capable of a lot and know he is going to show her. She just knows it.

She swallows and nods. Coulson studies her for another moment and then gets up and leads her through a set off doors until she sees Steve standing outside a glass cage. She focuses on Steve, someone she can call a friend even if they don’t know each other that well. She steadies her breathing a little before turning a fraction and looking at the occupant of the glass cell. The man she sees has long dark thick hair that covers his face and he sits on the cot, the only thing inside the cell except for a small toilet and sink. He is wearing SHIELD issued sweatpants and a shirt and she can see a prostatic arm made of something metal like. No, she corrects herself, she sees a weapon made of metal or whatever it is. But it’s clearly a weapon. She turns to Coulson, wondering what is supposed to happen know because the man inside is not going to make the first move. That much is clear to her.

She focuses on the man again. Was that Bucky? She wasn’t so sure. She hesitates for a moment, gathering her words before speaking up. “Hi, I’m Darcy Lewis, I’m a bit of a friend of Steve and I sort of work for agent Coulson. And Jane but you don’t know her. I uhm just wanted to come say hi I guess. They tell me you’ve got no friends here and that’s a shame so yeah. Hi.” She stumbles over the words a few times and it’s awkward. She can hit herself over the head for this and she holds her breath, expecting be scolded or at least told to just go away. Instead she hears movement from inside and she looks up to see Bucky standing right in front of her on the other side of the glass.

“Hi.” His voice is deep and gravelly like he hasn’t used his voice in a while and she can’t help the smile that enters her face. “Great. That wasn’t so awkward, well it was but you’re still here and yes off course you can’t go anywhere but I mean here here, so I haven’t ruined it and now you already know how awkward I am. Well not always but when I’m nervous.” She rambles. Bucky is studying here, like he’s trying to figure her out and her smile becomes more solid, because good luck with that dude. “So what’s your name?” She asks, head tilted. His confusion becomes clearer but she stays silent. “James.” He says eventually.

It’s a start and she takes it. She sits down and after motioning for him to do the same he does. She hears Steve and Coulson leave as she tells James all about her life and a little about SHIELD. When she leaves the room, a couple of hours later, Steve hugs her. Apparently James hadn’t talked at all before she came. She vows to come visit him every day after that and it ‘only’ takes him another two weeks before he starts telling her about his life.

When he is finally allowed to leave the cage the first thing he does is offer her his human hand. A week later he tentatively offers her his bionic hand and when he gets his own room two months later he cooks her dinner. That night they share there first kiss but nothing else. He insists on waiting until he can take her on a proper date and she makes sure that he keeps that promise.

It might not be very romantic but it makes both of them happy and that is the only thing that she really cares about.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is Bucky's pov of the previous chapter.

His head hurts. It’s nothing new but it’s still annoying. He’s been in this containment unit for over two months now, if his internal clock is still correct. So far they’ve treated him better then he thought they would. He has gotten three meals each day, they lights go low at night and the guards often have their back turned to him to offer him a semblance of privacy. It’s not much but he’s had worse. The problem is that he has nothing to do while every move he makes is monitored. Worse, Steve is always there for at least a couple of hours. The man constantly tells him about before and it gives him terrible headaches. He can remember quite a bit now but while he remembers his life before, it still doesn’t make sense.

Various agents have questioned him and some have even been willing to explain a few things to him but not enough. He can’t talk in case any of his handlers find out and while something inside of him trust Steve beyond any doubt he knows that he can’t trust that feeling. He remembers the little guy in Brooklyn and he can tell its Steve but this big man… It’s the man he was ordered to kill, it’s the man who was there right before the cold and somehow the memories of him are all connected to hurt and shooting and war. He doesn’t like thinking about it and honestly, he just wants him to leave him the hell alone.

He is sitting on his cot like usual; staring straight ahead and pretending not to be aware of his surroundings. Everyone knows that’s a lie off course but if he keeps still then his head hurts less and Steve is less likely to talk to him which is also good. He’s aware of the door opening without there being any movement in the corner which proves that someone else is entering. He can differentiate two distinct pares of footsteps; one belongs to one of the more important agents (one of the nicer ones too) and one belongs to a woman, the sound easy recognisable as heels on the linoleum.

He doesn’t look up but from the corner of his eyes he can see that the woman is not wearing a uniform and for a moment he considers turning to be able to see her properly. He doesn’t and waits for someone to fill the silence.

The voice of the woman almost startles him but he doesn’t show it. He listens carefully and her words don’t make sense. Who is she and what does she want? He can’t hear any lies in her obvious nervous rambling and he wonders how they persuaded her to come talk to him. When she falls silent again he turns his head, surprised to see that she actually seems embarrassed. He avoids looking at Steve but he does glance toward the agent that’s still standing in the back.

He silently gets up and walks over to the woman to study her. His complete focus is on her, wanting to figure out who she is and what he should do with that. With her. He keeps his face impassive but he feels surprised at her startled look when she sees him standing there. It’s the first normal emotion that he’s felt in a long time and it gives him the urge to try, for her. His voice hasn’t been used for a while but judging by the look on her face she doesn’t care. She’s smiling and it makes him feel strangely human.

It’s a good feeling and he relaxes his stance a little, taking her in instead of just looking at her as if she’s a puzzle (she is). Her continued rambling seems a bit soothing now, no headache seems to be coming and he feels relieved and a little worried. When she tilts her head in question he needs to rewind her rambling to figure out what he’s missed. He tries a few answers in his head but can’t really figure out what his name is. It’s certainly not ‘Bucky’ even if Steve won’t stop calling him that. Sergeant Barnes doesn’t sound either (he doesn’t have a rank, he’s an asset) but Winter Soldier isn’t right anymore either. “James.” Is what slips out without conscience thought and no one corrects him.

He sits at her request and relaxes a little more when Steve and the agent leave the room. The woman, he probably should call her Darcy, doesn’t seem to be worried about being alone with him. He lets her words wash over him and it’s so easy. She is normal and for some reasons she tells him her story and he soaks it up. She doesn’t ask anything from him and it’s a relief. When she seems done talking he feels a pang of regret and wonders if he will ever see her again but he can’t bring himself to say anything.

She comes back every day and somehow it becomes easier. The headaches become a bit less and Steve seems less upset which in turn makes him feel better. After a few hello’s he starts to answer more of her questions. He doesn’t tell her anything about being an asset but he does talk about some of the places he’s seen. It actually helps him with his memories and when the agent’s questions him again he begins to give them the information he has. He can tell from agent Coulson’s encouraging smile that this was all planned but it doesn’t matter anymore. Slowly his headaches start to become even less frequent and he starts getting books and even a tablet in his cell. Darcy still comes by every day and some days she brings him gifts like a knitted blanket because he hates the cold or chocolate, because he can’t remember the taste and that’s just criminal. He treasures the gifts and when he gets to the point where his memories are mostly intact he asks for his first favour, to be allowed out.

Agent Coulson is there when the cell doors open. He takes a deep breath and hesitates in the doorstep but when Darcy comes in through the other door his feet carry him until he’s in front of her. He offers his hand, the human one, not sure what to say and when she takes it he positively smiles at her. He keeps hold of her hand, rubbing the skin with his thumb and marvelling in the softness. He takes a deep breath and oh, she smells good. They don’t leave the room but he doesn’t need to, having her here is good enough for him.

He knows, technically, that she knows about his arm, the bionic one, but to him it’s still a weapon. She however doesn’t see it that way and treats it the same as his human arm. It still takes him a while to touch her with it. It doesn’t turn out to be a big deal but the sensitivity is still less so he still prefers his other hand but she seems to understand that (she’s so great).

A little less then a month later he gets his own room, like any other agent, although it’s a secluded hallway. He immediately talks to agent Coulson about getting groceries so he can cook for what he’s pretty sure is his girl. The agent smiles, he has always supported their relationship.

With some help from the internet he manages to cook a proper meal and when he gets looks inside the cupboards to set the table he finds the candles that Coulson has probably snuck in. It makes him smile that the handler, someone Darcy trusts, supports them. It makes him more confident that he can be a good thing for the young woman instead of ruining her.

She is beautiful when she comes by and he’s glad for the slightly fancy clothes he had chosen to wear. He can’t help but kiss her before she leaves and his heart is beating fast when she returns the kiss. His heart is still beating fast when he thinks about it.

It takes him 6 weeks of working closely with SHIELD, agent Coulson becoming his handler, to gain outside privileges. The first thing he does is pick Darcy up and he takes her to the fanciest place he can afford. That night they make love for the first time and they are both late for work the next day.

For their second date he takes her to Brooklyn, there is a small restaurant Steve had told him about that still exists from before. That night they decide to have a date night at least once a week and slowly all her things migrate to his quarters.

Seven months later they find a new place and move in together. He has a ring in his pocket and a smile on his face. This woman is his life and he hopes that soon he can be hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your comments and kudos! I'm making this a universe so there will be some oneshots on what happens in-between but since the style was already somewhat set I decided to stick with it for this chapter.

**Author's Note:**

> My first work in this universe.. I'm not sure what to think of it but I'm trying to write more so please feel free to leave constructive criticism or prompts!


End file.
